Red Moon
by Harbinger XIII
Summary: Vampires have appeared from a rift at the base of Cocoon with intents on making what's left of humanity extinct, Now, it's up to the four ex l'cie and a new friend to save the day. But with the odds stacked against them how can they succeed? (Sorry for horrible summary.) OC, Post-game. (Had to re-post this due to some hiccups in )
1. Chapter 1

"Get down." Whispered Sazh he crouched deeper into the woods as a vampire scout flew overhead. "So I assume we're saving the world again?" Asked Snow. "Well, I'd say we have a better chance than anyone given our experience." Answered Hope the full moon illuminating his silver hair. Lightning sat stonefaced watching the vampire fly over just past a pulsian mountain until it was out of sight.

"Come on." She snapped as she started jogging towards the lakeside outpost of Nimona. The others followed pushing their way past the dense jungle. "How far?" Asked Hope. "Half a mile." Answered Sazh as two vampires dropped down from a tree infront of Lightning making her fall back. "Look Vendral, More food sacks." One of them chimed to the other its compound red eyes examining them it stood hunch backed with its wings hanging down its back its pointed catlike ears twitching in the excitement of having a human for dinner. Its body covered in short gray fur.

"I'll be food to no one." Lightning replied forcefully. "Like you have a choice girl." as the vampire hissed lunging at her Lightning quicklly side stepping it and kicking it off to the side giving Sazh a clear shot it let off a screech as a silver bullet pierced its head it dropped to its knees dissipating into a cloud of dust.

"Die foodsack!" The other screeched as it jumped onto Lightning pinning her trying to wrap one of its three fingered hands around her neck. "Get off me you bastard!" She yelled headbutting it in the face knocking it off then jumping ontop of it pinning it to the ground. She raised her gunblade running it through the vampires chest it let out an incredibly loud scream as its body turned to dust Lightning got up with a grunt tired from the struggle. "You okay?" Snow asked. "Yeah. But we need to hurry." She replied panting as she continued jogging towards Nimona.

"It's them, open the gates!" A man wielding a sniper rifle yelled as the four approached. A makeshift gate made of scrap metal harvested from pulsian knights parted slowly. As the four entered a blue haired girl walked towards them "did you get them?" she asked, her labcoat brushing against against the ground. "Yes Guthie." Hope replied. " Yay! Then come on, the meta esscence is almost depleted." She chimed happily.

Hope, Sazh, Snow, and Lightning followed her to the center of the outpost where a makeshift lab stood. "I'm going home, to see Serah" Snow said as he walked off. "I guess I better go too." Lightning commented. "Will you be fine, Hope?" "Yeah." He replied. "I'll see you at home then." She said as she walked off in the same direction as Snow. "And I'm gonna go rest. My old bones can't take this." Sazh said as he walked off.

Guthie opened the heavy lab door and walked in Hope followed walking into a circular room the lights glowing a dim red with all manner of wires and cables hooked into a computer and sensors around a stone pedastal floating above the pedastal was a purple crystal, a salve crystal, a mysterious substance that could be altered to repel vampires and give off energy.

"I've redirected the esscence to power the buildings in sector one and three." Guthie Said. "So all sectors have power then?" Hope asked "Yes, as soon as you replace the crystal...And how many were there at the site?" She replied. "Only two." Hope replied knowing they would only last a short time, at the most two weeks. He approached the pedastal pulling down the crystal as it left the pedestal it faded becoming transperant then pulling another crystal from his pocket, he held up one of the charged crystals as it zipped from his hand like a magnet and took its place above the pedestal. "Okay, it's aligned." Hope announced.

"I have to make a few calibrations come over here." She ordered, Hope complied standing beside Guthie, she then started started typing in things on the computer. "Okay...mmm...let's see...okay...mmkay...hmm...maybe if I do this." A spark shot from one of the sensors. "Oh, that wasn't it. Let's try thisss." she said thoughtfully to herself brushing a strand of her blue hair out of her face the computer screen reflecting off her black framed glasses, she tapped in a few more commands on her computer as the red lights in the laboratory illuminated to white.

"There we go, got it!" She smiled widely the lights now illuminating her green eyes making them more visible. Hope laughed. "Counting on a little girl to keep the power on. That's the life." He commented to himself. "You're not that old youself! And I'm fifteen in 4 months. You're only a year older than me." she replied annoyed. "Still a little girl." Hope smiled. "Whatever, Get out of my lab." She smiled sideways as Hope left bound for his home.


	2. Chapter 2

Hope approached his house looking up into the dark sky to see a purple aura. relieved to see that the salve crystals they provided were enough to get the shields back up. He reached for the front door of his home feeling safer knowing that no vampires could get into his town.

Hope opened the front door to his and his families home. "Hey Hope." Serah chimed sitting on the raggedy couch they salvaged from a pulsian junk yard. The house itself wasn't a pretty thing it was made of rickety wooden boards salvaged after they fell from coccoon during coccoons fall and held together with old nails and clamps. "Hey Serah." He smiled. as he sat on an old chair from which the fabric was barely hanging on it. "I see you and Guthie got the power on." Snow commented sitting beside Serah. "Yeah. But it'll only last two weeks at the most." Hope replied.

Snow thought for a moment and sighed. "We should be fighting the vampires, we can't keep living in filth like this..." He said looking at his filthy clothes. "I know what you mean, But what can we do? We don't even know who or what's organizing them if anything."

"Maybe Guthie can find something out?" Snow said thoughtfully. "I mean, we know they came from the rift at the base of Cocoons pillar. It's a matter of how many there are and who's organizing them." Hope replied. "We should go there." Snow replied.

"No, we're not going to risk our lives, and the lives of the people in the town. if we die, they die too. They don't have the strength to retrieve the salve crystals." Lightning said emerging from the neighboring room wearing the "What I say goes" face.

Snow gave her a reluctant nod knowing what she said was true.

One week later...

Hope pushed open the lab doors. "Hey Hope, come to replace the crystal?" Guthie said smiling. "Yeah." He replied. Guthie stalled for a minute. "what's wrong" Hope asked? "Uhm, can I talk to you Hope?" Guthie asked. "Yeah, Sure what's the matter?" "I..." She paused for a moment. "It's nothing." "Are you sure? You can tell me anything Guthie. We're practically bestfriends." Hope asked. She smiled softly. "Yeah." And hugged him. "Okay. If you're sure." He let go of her and approached the pedestal in the center of the lab. Pulling down the Salve crystal it turned transperant in his hand.

Guthie approached her computer terminal and started typing in commands. "Okay, you're good to go Hope." Hope reached in his pocket pulling out the second crystal offering it to the pedestal. Nothing happened for a moment until finally the pedestal pulled it from his hand and it hovered over the pedestal. "Okay, Hope come over here I have to calibrate it." Hope walked over and stood beside Guthie.

She started punching in commands on her keyboard. "Wait..what..Hope you have to get out of here something's wrong." The crystal started to arc "Guthie, What's happening." "I don't know. I don't know if I can get it under control Hope, go!" She pleaded, Hope looked around. "I'm not leaving you here." He said adamantly putting his hand on her shoulder. "Hope run!" She yelled. As the crystal started arcing even more violently and the building started to rumble. Hope grabbed her and started pulling her towards the exit. "Let me go we can't lose the pedestal!" She kicked and punched trying to get back to her computer terminal.

Hope pulled her from the lab just as it exploded knocking both of them back. Hope landing on his back hitting his head on the rocky ground his vision was blurry he looked to his side to see Guthie collapsed face down flaming debris strewn all around "Guthie..." was the last thing he said before he slipped into unconciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

Hope stirred from his slumber. And jolted up, the moonlight reflecting from his silver hair oddly. He looked to his right to see Guthie still unconscious he ran to her. "Get up!" he shook her. Get up Guthie!" He wrapped his hand around her wrist and breathed a sigh of relief that he could feel her heartbeat he noticed scars across her wrists. "Is this what you were trying to tell me?..." He said to himself. He heard a screech and looked up to see dozens, if not hundreds of vampires flying towards the outpost. "What? no! The labs gone, The shields!" He shook Guthie desperately.

"Wake up Guthie!" She stirred. "Hope..." "There's no time we have to go!" He helped her up and they started sprinting down the street heading towards Hope's home passing dilapidated houses and dark alley's their feet pounded the rocky street Guthie tripped and fell over. "Shit, Guth are you okay?" He helped her up. She let out a gasp as pain shot up her leg. "I can't run just go." "No." He pulled her along at now a fast walk they were almost home as a vampire landed infront of them its back to them, Hope realizing he was unarmed pulled Guthie into the alley to their side hoping it didn't see them. Panting and out of breathe his sides felt as if they were on fire.

They ran down the alley until a vampire landed infront of them. "Hello, Foodsacks." It grinned, happy it had caught its meal. Hope looked around only to find there was no where else to go but back. "Shit!" They turned around but another appeared. "No! It's not going to end like this!" He yelled. The vampire infront of him jumped on him and tried to rend him with its claws Hope just barely holding it back. "Damn you!" His arms gave out just as he heard a gunshot and the vampire fell off him and fell into dust. "Lightning!" He called as she ran to him gunblade drawn shooting the next killing it in one shot to the face.

Lightning threw Hope his dagger and gunblade he sheathed the gunblade and put the dagger in his pocket. "Where are the others Lightning?" Hope asked desperately as a house down the alley exploded. "I don't knoW!" she replied. "Let's go then." Hope said and Lightning nodded Hope bent down and helped Guthie up. "Can you run?" Guthie nodded. And the three started sprinting down the alley. Emerging onto the street Lightning gunning down the vampire who landed infront of Hope and Guthie earlier. A man ran up to them. "You have to help m.." He was interupted as a vampire swooped down picking him up and flying off with him.  
They continued sprinting down the street knowing nothing could be done for him.

They charged into their house to hear Snow.

"GET BACK YOU BASTARDS!"

Lightning Hope and Guthie charged into the living room to see Serah in a corner and Snow infront of her bleeding badly flanked by three vampires. Hope sniping one of the vampires and Lightning gunning down the two others. "Snow!" Hope yelled as he caught the collapsing man checking his injuries. "Shit he's hurt pretty bad." Hope ran into the kitchen. "Hope you take care of Snow and Serah, I'm going to find Sazh and Dajh!" Lightning called to him as she rushed out the door. "Got it!" He called back as he grabbed a vial from a shelf in the kitchen running back to the living room kneeling down to Snow. Pouring the liquid over his most serious wound to clense the vampire curse from him. He looked at the virtually unharmed Serah. "He's going to be okay." He said reassuringly she nodded tears in her eyes.

"Sazh!" Lightning called making her way down the back alleys of the outpost shooting vampires as they swooped down trying to rend her. "NO NO NOOOO! NOOOOOOOO!" Lightning heard Sazh's voice from a nearby rooftop. Lightning breaking down the back door of the nearby shack the living room was engulfed in flames, Lightning climbed up the stairs to the second then the third floor and up the ladder to the roof.

"Sazh!" She called. Sazh was on the roof fighting with three vampires his pistols out of ammunition. He punched one knocking it back as the other two grabbed one arm each the third getting back up. "I'm going to enjoy feeding on you, miserable worm." It hissed at Sazh.

Lightning lifted her gunblade shooting it in the side it screeched the others turned around to confront Lightning they charged her, Lightning shot the injured one killing it then shooting one of the other two charging at her she went to shoot the third only to hear a click as her gunblade jammed she raised her sword but it was too late it tackled her pinning her. Sazh still too dazed to help she raised her sword but the vampire knocked it out of her hand it pinned her arms as it went for her neck. She tried desperately to grab her sword until she finally broke free partially grabbing her sword she sliced the wing of the vampire making it screech then kicking it over her head and off the roof it screeched as it fell into the alley now engulfed in flames.

She got up. "Sazh are you okay?" Lightning asked, the man cried. "They took Dajh!" He hit his fists against the ground. "I..I'm sorry..." She told him. Sazh got up. "I want revenge on these bastards!" He screamed alerting the nearby vampires they took flight heading towards the source of the angry scream.

"Give me ammo!" Demanded Sazh Lightning handed him 4 clips. Lightning kneeled down taking the cartridge out of her gun and clearing the jam. "We're going to have alot of unwelcome company soon..." she said calmly.

Just then at least twenty vampires start circling overhead. Sazh getting up taking the safety off his weapons. "This is gonna hurt." He commented. Lightning aimed her weapon at the sky and started firing off rounds the vampires screeched angrily. Sazh started firing rounds off aimlessly into the sky his guns autofiring blitzing them. One of the vampires swooping down he punched it out of the air and shot it in chest killing it.

Two more swooped down at Lightning she expertly killed them both with one swing of her sword. Sazh gunned down two more out of the air as another swooped down on him. He grabbed it by its neck in flight then slammed it onto the ground and choked it to death easily overpowering the vampire fueled by his rage.

The house shifted to one side as the house began to collapse from the raging fire. "The house is collapsing!" Sazh yelled. "No shit." Lightning replied. "where do we go?" Sazh asked as the house kept shifting. "The only place we can go." Lightning replied running across the roof and jumping from the three story tall roof landing elegantly on her feet on a neighboring two story tall house. Sazh followed throwing himself off the roof landing hard rolling onto his stomache. "Ugh." the burning house they were just on started leaning towards them as its foundation started to give out.  
"GO!" Lightning yelled as she started running across the roof jumping onto another second story house Sazh following barely able to get off the roof before the house collided with it. Engulfing it in flames. Screams could be heard from the house as it burned. "No time to rest." Lightning said as she jumped from the house onto a first story house sliding down its roof and landing in the alley. Sazh following falling to the ground rolling onto his stomache.

"We have to get to the house." Lightning said sprinting through the alley as the fire spread towards them. Sazh getting up and sprinting after her.

"There." Hope said as he finished bandaging Snow. "Thanks kid." He said with his usual stupid grin. As Lightning and Sazh bursted in. Hope got up. "Light." Hope started "We gotta go now!" Lightning interrupted as the flames grew closer to the house Hope nodded helping Snow up. The six leaving the house Lightning Hope and Sazh shooting vampires as they made their way down the street vampire dust filling the air with a scent of death and decay.  
People running out of their houses only to get swooped down on and carried off by vampires people running out of their houses engulfed in flames. "Help me!" They screamed. Others would just scream gibberish as they burned to death.

They left the gates as the sun appeared on the horizon the vampires fled to their holes and their shelter hiding from the sun. The six headed into the pulsian woods. Unsure what to do, Unsure where to go. This was their fate. For all they knew they were the last of humanity. They knew how to fight though. And that's what they were going to do.

They set up camp in the woods by a lake. The six sat in silence looking at the ground. Snow laughed. "Oh the irony..." "What do you mean?" Asked Hope. "Earlier, When I said we're going to save the world...Ha...And here we are. Forced to fight again..." Snow replied. And the six sat in silence once again for what seemed like hours just looking at eachother. Hope got up and walked towards the lake. The others didn't move.

Hope looked across the lake to see a huge black plume of smoke floating high into the sky from the village, even hours later it was still burning.

Hope began to speak.  
"Many were lost. alot were friends, Some were family. We can only carry on and let not their deaths be in vain. We cannot give up. We were given a chance, A chance to survive and we will avenge them, We'll fight evil. And we'll prevail."

Tears formed in Hope's eyes as his mind wandered to his friends in the village.

He walked back to the camp. "Fate can be a cruel thing...But we have eachother." He looked at Lightning Then at Guthie At Snow at Serah then at Sazh. "And the bond of this family, This makeshift sometimes disfunctional family. Our love for eachother." He looked at Lightning. "Will keep us alive."

Serah began crying, Snow jumped up. "Hope's right!" He punched his fists together. "I say, We give it to the vampires!"

Serah stood up beside her husband. And nodded.

Lightning stood up, "You're right Hope, and giving up's overrated anyway."

Sazh stood up, "For Dajh." He said with a weak smile and a tear in his eye.

Guthie stood up, "I don't have much fighting experience. But I'll help in anyway I can." She said smiling.

"Then it's settled, We're fighting." Hope said with a grin.


	4. Chapter 4

"How far is it to Cocoons crash site?" Asked Snow. "About a hundred miles." Lightning answered. "That's at least five days of travel..." Hope said. Sazh spoke up. "We'll need transportation, perhaps we can find something in the old pulsian dumping grounds?" Lightning thought for a moment, then nodded. "To the dumping grounds it is."

They walked through the gate of the dumping grounds, an enormous junkyard used by pulsians long ago. Stacks upon stacks of rusted metal and other junk piled hundreds of feet high. "Don't get serperated." Hope chimed. They continued deeper into the junkyard.

"How long have we been here?..." Asked Hope. "About four hours." Replied Sazh. "We've found literally nothing of use..." Serah groaned. They rounded a corner as one of the junk stacks seemed to shift. "Hm?" Serah turned around to it. No one else seemed to notice. "Hey, guys." She said just as it collapsed and a mechanical behemoth emerged from it and roared.

"Fuck." Snow said. Looking back and realizing they were cornered. The behemoths eyes were glowing red it looked around as if scanning the enviroment. Everyone stood completely still, Guthie started whispering. "If you keep it distracted I might be able to disable it...She gripped her laptop bag." "Keep it distracted, huh?...COME AT ME BRO!" He yelled at it. It roared angrily. And charged him the massive beast the size of a train car barreled at Snow. "Here we go." Snow climbed up a stack of junk jumping off the stack as the behemoth reached him landing on its back then jumping off.

"Snow what are you doing!?" Yelled Hope, who was shooting the behemoths legs trying to weaken it. "Distracting it!" Snow replied smirking. The mechanical monster charged him again its knife like horns pointed towards him Snow rolled away just in time Serah screamed at how close of a call it was. "Almost there..." Guthie whispered to herself as she punched in commands on her computer. "What's taking so damn long?" Snow yelled out at Guthie. "The wifi here's shit!" She yelled back. Snow dodged a massive swipe by the behemoth even with all the damage the party was inflicting it wasn't weakening. "Come on, do you even lift!?" Snow smirked as the behemoth pounced at him he rolled away just in time. The behemoths tail whipped around striking Snow knocking him down.

"That all you got?" He asked getting up weakly, The behemoth swiped again Snow stepped back to dodge it. Snow slipped and fell onto his back. The behemoth raised its claw to deliver the killing blow Snow closed his eyes ready for it. As the behemoth made a whirring noise and its eyes went black. "GOT IT!" Guthie announced proudly. Snow laughed. "I win." He got up smirking. "that's debatable." Chimed Guthie. "Can you control this thing?" Hope asked her. "Yes." replied Guthie. "Then could we use this as a mode of transportation?" Lightning asked. "Possibly." Guthie answered she tapped in a few commands on her laptop and the behemoth whirred back to life making everyone take a few steps back but it stood still other than scan the area.

Guthie climbed ontop of it. "Got room for six." She said smiling. "I'm sort've reluctant to get on that thing..." Serah said worriedly. "Beggars can't be choosers." Hope replied climbing onto the behemoths back and taking his position behind Guthie. "This doesn't seem like the situation to use analogies in, But I'll take it." Sazh said as he got on. "What Hope said." Said Lightning as she also got on. "ANDDD, What she said!" Snow bellowed getting on the behemoth. Serah just let out a sigh and got onto the behemoth. Guthie began typing in commands and lines of code into her laptop and the behemoth roared to life as it jumped up and started a full on sprint across piles of junk.

"AHHH!" They all screamed as the behemoth jumped high and landed roughly outside the junkyard entrance. "There we goooo." Guthie chimed. "Where to?" She asked. "Base of Cocoon." Lightning told her. Guthie typed in something on her laptop and the behemoth started charging at extreme speeds towards cocoon.

the behemoth charged as fast as it could as Cocoon came into view suspended on its crystal pillar. "There it is!" Yelled Hope. "Something's not right." Whispered Lightning to herself. The behemoth jumped onto a hill and came to a rest.

"What...the hell?" Snow said as a castle that looked as if it had come from the bronze age came into view. The behemoth stopped. "It must have risen from the earth when the rift opened." Lightning suggested. "And I think it's safe to assume this is where the vampires are coming from." Added Guthie. "Do we just break down the front door or...?" Asked Hope. "We'll do what we always did." Lightning said. "So break down the front door it is." Hope replied smiling to himself.

Guthie typed in some commands into her laptop. "Are we ready?" she asked. "Yes." replied everyone except Snow who replied with "Yolo". The behemoth started running down the hill towards the castle the sun started to set and the horizon turning a red color. Vampires started to swoop down at them only to be shot down by Lightning, Hope, and Sazh. "Hey, guys." Chimed Snow. "If we don't make it I love you all." "I'm not gay bro, but whatever your preference is." Hope replied.

The behemoth charged towards the castle it broke through the drawbridge door with ease. Everyone got off the behemoth finding themselves in a huge room with walls made of stone. "I expected an army." Sazh commented. "Guess we've killed most of them." Snow added right as hundreds of vampires flooded into the chamber. "Spoke too soon." Said Hope drawing his gunblade. Guthie got on the behemoth. The warriors drew their weapons.

"Let's do this." Snow yelled out as the vampires swarmed towards them. Guthie reared up the behemoth and charged the vampires trampling dozens. "I saved alittle somethin' special just for you guys!" Yelled out Snow pulling a hand grenade from his pocket pulling the pin and throwing it into a large group of vampires headed towards him.

Lightning and Hope began gunning down the vampires from a distance bullets ripping through their bodies as they turned to dust. Sazh took out his dual pistols and autofired into the crowd of vampires coming towards them ripping them to pieces.  
"Let's see how you like this!" Yelled Guthie as the behemoth breathed fire onto them. "I'll burn you like you burned my village!" She yelled angrily.

A vampire got past their guard and at Serah. "Hello food sack." it licked its lips. "Snow!" She called but she was too far away for anyone to hear. It lunged at her but instictually she slapped it it lost its balance and fell. She then jumped on its head and it disappeared into a cloud of dust. "Take that!" She yelled smiling.

"Are..are there anymore?" Hope fell to his knees panting. "No, not here anyway." Lightning answered. "Is everyone okay!?" Snow shouted. Getting an answer from everyone. They regrouped in the center of the room. "Someone must be leading these bastards, let's go deeper in." Urged Snow. Getting a nod from Lightning. They went deeper into the castle. Guthie dismounted the behemoth. "Sorry boy, but the corridors are too tight for you to fit." She said with a frown. The behemoth whimpered until she gave it a pat on the head then it wagged its tail happily. "That thing...has a personallity?" Snow asked. "Hey, it's a popular misconception that machines don't have feelings too!" Guthie replied angrily.

The group continued through the corridors of the castle gunning down a stray vampire here and there. They came up into a room, a prison room to see hundreds if not thousands of people trapped in cages. "HELP US!" They cried. "Survivors." Hope said happily. As he grabbed keys off a nearby shelf and unlocked the doors. "DADDY!" yelled someone as Dajh came running out of a cell hugging his father. "Dajh!" yelled Sazh happily as he hugged the boy happy to be reunited with his son he cried holding his son against him tightly. Everyone smiled happy to see Sazh reunited with his son.

"Serah, Guthie get these people to safety, out of the castle." Lightning ordered. "Okay." Serah replied jogging off. "Stay with Serah and Guthie they'll keep you safe." Sazh told his son hugging him. "Okay daddy." Dajh replied.

"Now we still have to get to the bottom of who's behind this." Lightning announced. Getting a nod from everyone in the room. They continued up the castle climbing up a winding tower. Exiting onto the roof of the castle. Hope looked down to see they were at least fifty stories high. "Ugh." He said holding his stomache. "Scared of heights?" Asked Snow laughing. "Y..Yeah." Hope replied holding his stomache.

A tower was built in the center of the roof going up at least another hundred feet at the top was a disk like arena held up by six pillars protruding from the tower. "Well, Whoever's behind all this is bound to be up there, huh?" Snow asked. "Obviously, that's how things work." Lightning retorted entering the tower and starting to climb the stairs, the others following.

After a long climb they emerged onto the roof, They were in what looked to be an arena no guard rails no protection from falling, nothing. "This is...pleasant..." Hope looked up seeing a blood red moon. "The moon is different..." he commented. The others looked up. "That's strange." commented Guthie. "Well, it shouldn't be a suprise that there's a red moon since..." Snow was interupted by the ground starting to tremble.

A huge creature made of flesh and steel floated down from the sky. "Is that what I think it is?" Hope asked as he took a few steps back. "A Fal'cie." Sazh replied gripping his pistols taking the safety off. "I am Exodus!" It roared as it landed on the tower small tendils creeping out from the base of its body it was legless it stood on its torso which was a mass of muscle, bone, and flesh its smaller tendrils seemed to help it balance, it stood thirty feet tall its head was fully made of steel its eyes glew a bright green but other than eyes its face was featureless. Its "Arms" Were two twenty foot long thick tendrils at the end were hands made of torn looking and gnarled flesh with three small tendrils coming out of each acting as fingers. Two even thicker tendrils emerged from its back they whipped around with a mind of their own they seemed uneven in length. "I am the last of the Fal'cie, imprisoned by Orphan in the center of Gran Pulse for millenia." It continued.

"I must thank you L'cie, for defeating my old master and breaking the seal." It roared. "And with the vampires I will rebuild my true body even if it means ripping the flesh from you human leeches myself." "So you're using the vampires to harvest humans to rebuild your body?" Lightning asked coming to the realization that the Fal'cie's body was made mostly of human flesh. "Yes, I'm suprised your tiny mind can grasp that concept." It insulted.

"Where did the vampires come from?" Asked Snow. "I found them in the center of Gran Pulse imprisoned as I was. They began to worship me as a god and have pledged fealty to me." "And they've kidnapped humans to rebuild your body?" Asked Lightning. "Correct, human." It said simply" "Well, I hope you know we're not going to let you do that." Snow yelled out punching his fists together. The Fal'cie laughed its tendrils lifted off the ground. "Can we beat it? We're not L'cie anymore..." Sazh asked. "Well, we have nothing to lose." Hope replied drawing his gunblade.

Lightning and Hope ran towards the monster it swung one of its arms at Hope who jumped over it easily. "Remember your training." Lightning told him as they ran towards the monster shooting it bullets penetrated its flesh but it didn't seem to hurt it at all. "Weaklings!" It yelled as it brought down one of its tendrils towards Lightning she side stepped it just in time as it smashed into the ground causing a huge crater in the stone.

Sazh lifted his pistols and started rapid firing rounds into the monsters body bullets pinged off the creatures face but it remained unhurt. "Fool!" It roared swinging one of its arms hitting Sazh in the side knocking him across the arena landing on his stomache unconcious. "Sazh!" Snow yelled unpinning a grenade and throwing it at the creature it landed at the base of the creature and detonated ripping the Fal'cie's flesh apart. A chunk of flesh fell from the Fal'cie's chest revealing a beating heart. "FOOLISH HUMAN!" it yelled in anger as it lifted up the two tendrils on its back a large black ball formed between them. "DEMI!" it yelled out. "Agh!" Snow screamed out as a black ball formed around him and gravity began to crush him.

Hope shot the creature in the the heart it roared out in pain causing it to lose focus and release Snow from its spell. Snow fell to his knees out of breathe and fell onto his back out cold. Exodus lashed its arm tendrils towards Hope in anger Hope avoided one and slashed at the other cutting its hand off. It screamed out in pain and anger. Lightning kept shooting the creature in the heart but it still didn't seem to have an effect. The creature roared angrily and lashed all its tendrils towards Lightning. "Enough games!" Exodus yelled.  
Lightning dodged the first and second the third whipped her in the legs knocking her off balance and the forth hitting her in the side of the head knocking her out.

Hope stood alone against Exodus. "Do you think you can win human?" It shouted. "Yeah." Hope yelled back Exodus lashed its arm at Hope grabbing his wrist and jerked him towards it at high speed Hope took his knife out of his pocket with his free hand and slashed it downwards severing Exodus's hand using the momentum from Exodus pulling him towards it to carry him through the air he lifted his gunblade and plunged it into the Fal'cie's heart. It roared angrily. "No, I will not be beaten like this!" It screeched its eyes started to flicker.

Hope hung onto the handle of his gunblade and plunged his knife into the fal'cie's heart. Exodus wrapped one of its back tendrils around Hopes ankle as it fell backwards and off the tower pulling Hope down with it. Exodus crumbled into dust as it fell from the tower Hope falling with it plumetting towards the ground he closed his eyes realizing there was no way he was getting out of this one as he felt something huge grab him. He opened his eyes in shock to see Guthie's behemoth pulling him along the air by his shirt the behemoth landed on the ground roughly dropping Hope onto his stomache. "ugh...I think I soiled myself." He said to himself as he passed out from exhaustion.

"Well, You did it kid." Snow winked at Hope sitting across from him under a tree in the Archlyte Steppe. "was a team effort." He replied. "Team effort my ass, I wouldn't have been crazy enough to do what you did." His stupid grin growing. "Yeah, well what's important is it's over." Hope got up and looked on the horizon to see the sun just barely coming up. "We should probably be helping build the town." Hope then said.  
"Me? Do manual labor? HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA!" Snow laughed. "Well, The alternative is I tell Serah you were slacking off while she helped rebuild the town..." Hope replied. Snow stopped laughing, and sighed turning around walking towards the construction site feeling defeated."

"I like how you handled that." A voice came from behind. "HUh!?" Hope spun around on his heel suprised. Lightning walked up to him smiling. "You are the hero you know." She said. "Nah." Hope replied. "If you say so kiddo." She replied ruffled his hair walking towards the construction site. Another voice came from behind. "Well, We did it. Guthie stood behind him smiling. "Ugh, I really hate people sneaking up on me..." Hope said annoyed. Guthie smiled and hugged him. "Guthie..your wrists..I saw them after the explosion.." Guthie interupted him. "Let's save that story for another time." She said thoughtfully. Hope nodded. "Now come on. We have a town to build." She said smiling as the behemoth came running over. She jumped up on it. Hope climbing up behind her "Let's go!" She chimed to the monster and it galloped off towards town. "HEY!, WHY DO I HAVE TO WALK!?" Yelled Snow shaking his fist as they passed him. "Don't stop." Hope said smiling. "I wouldn't if you told me to." Guthie replied.

The End.


End file.
